


A Thorn On Your Side

by choco_latte2



Series: Spring is in the Air [3]
Category: My Engineer (TV)
Genre: Bohn/duen if you squint, M/M, king is insecure and needs to be reassured, mek/boss if you squint harder, no but seriously king is CLUMSY and needs a bodyguard 24/7 and ram is up for the job ;), protective ram has entered the chat, ram finally saying WORDS goddamnit, thara/frong if you examine them under a microscope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:28:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26190400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/choco_latte2/pseuds/choco_latte2
Summary: Ram had slowly grown accustomed to the plant loving senior following him around like a lost puppy. But when King slowly distances himself after the incident during the camping trip, the usually unbothered man feels uneasy.Why did this thorn on his side, this pain on his tattooed neck, and this adorable nuisance have so much of an effect on him?---King's insecurities gets the best of him, and he tries to distance himself from Ram. Too bad Ram won't give up on him.King may feel like a thorn on Ram's side, but thorns are needed on roses to protect them from outside dangers, just like how Ram needs King, even if King doesn't realize it yet.~ Because every rose has its thorns, and Ram was no exception.
Relationships: Boss/Mek (My Engineer), Duen Krisada Rattananumchok/Bon Sirikarnkul, King/Ram (My Engineer)
Series: Spring is in the Air [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1875163
Comments: 19
Kudos: 141





	A Thorn On Your Side

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This fic is part of my 'Spring is in the Air' series but it is a stand alone piece and can be read on it's own.
> 
> This is probably one of the longest pieces of writing I've ever written. It took me a couple of weeks to write this one up! (Also I haven't proofread this whole thing so if there's typo's please ignore them sorry!!)
> 
> This fic is an alternate ending to what happens after Season 1, with King continuing to run away from Ram to hide his feelings. It's a different route from my other fic "I Bloom Just for You" but it's set at the same timeline (after the infamous camping trip). Make sure to read my other fics in this series! I really love the nature concept and tried to incorporate as many plant related metaphors throughout my writing!

Ram likes having a routine.

He feeds his three beloved puppies, goes to school, hangs out with his friends, studies, volunteers, goes to the gym, and repeats the same motions everyday. 

But over the past month, his daily routine had been disturbed by a thorn on his side that goes by the name 'King'. The engineering senior had infiltrated his volunteering sessions, his study groups, and had slowly but surely implanted himself into the younger man's mind.

He told himself that the only reason he tolerated King's boisterous nature and relentless curiosity of Ram's life was the free tutoring sessions and academic help he received. King, being the top of the Engineering class, was willing to share his knowledge with Ram. 

But Ram knew deep down, that he was lying to himself.

During those tutoring sessions that stretched into the night, he couldn't help but feel King's elbow pushing against his chest, hoping that the senior couldn’t feel his rapid heartbeat.

He tried his best to concentrate on the numbers on the paper, but his attention kept on drifting to the way the night lights glowed on King’s face- illuminating the ebony hair that hung like a beautiful crown on the top of his head. 

“Do you understand it now?” King asked, snapping Ram out of his trance.

When their eyes met, they were so close, Ram could see every individual eyelash attached to King’s almond shaped eyes. 

He felt his heart beat even quicker (if that was even physically possible.) His breath hitched, while the senior broke eye contact to continue explaining the concept to him.

In that moment he knew- King had unknowingly managed to ensnare him- just like how the Venus Flytrap captures its prey. 

\---

"Have you seen P'King, Duen?" Ram asked his friend, wondering why King had missed the past 2 days of school.

Ram was still living in King's condo and knew that King was spending time with his grandmother after the camping trip. He had assumed that the top Engineering student would return before school started.

Ram still had the lecture notes King had given him and now that he had copied them, he had no need for them. He had to return them. That was the sole reason for his unusual curiosity of the senior’s whereabouts. No other reason. At all.

”Hmm, I’m not sure. I could ask Bohn if you want?” 

“No need.” Ram shook his head vigorously.

Ram took out his phone, scrolling through King's social media to give any signs about his current whereabouts.

_Where was he?_

\---

King had already returned from his grandmother's place after the camping trip and had taken a quick visit to his parent's house. He had decided to call in sick to university, using the stitches and his prior injuries to his advantage even though the infection was long gone. His parents had immediately bought the act, if King wasn't so good at Math maybe he could've been an actor instead, he thought. 

He opened his chat with the Cool Boy and read the message Ram had sent 3 days ago:

**I wasn't drunk last night.**

When King first received the message a wave of shock flowed through his body. He then realized it made sense- he knew that Ram had a high tolerance anyways thanks to his stocky build. Not that he had ever thought about the boxer's build before. Not at all. 

After the initial shock, King felt extremely embarrassed due to his actions. How could he break his cool like that? He felt ashamed that he had went off on the junior in that way, especially when Ram was already dealing with family issues. 

_He doesn't need me, all I do is make him look after me_. King thought, wallowing in self pity. 

King reflected on his relationship with the Cool Boy and realized that it was always him bothering and disturbing the other man's peace, forcing him to study with King, forcing him to babysit after King's clumsy self, forcing him to take care of him while he's drunk, angry, and confused- even forcing him into a kiss.

_I'm just a thorn on his side, a pain in the neck. A burden._

While King was so wrapped up in his mortification and deep regret for his actions, he had failed to remember the way Ram had reciprocated the kiss, reaching forward to cup King's face with his warm hands. He had forgotten that Ram had gone forward and reconnected their lips after they broke apart.

He had forgotten that Ram was stone cold sober that night, and had no excuse to kiss King back- but he did. 

And he would do it again, even if King hadn't fully realized it yet. 

While Ram was a beautiful flower in King's eyes, he was still vulnerable. Ram wouldn't survive without the thorn on his side to shield him from his father's infidelity and his best friend's betrayal. King was important to Ram, and he always would be.

King shut his eyes to escape his thoughts, and get some sleep as it was getting late, determined to avoid the situation at all costs.

A few hours later, King woke up after his restless "sleep" due to his phone ringing, jolting King to fully sit up, making his head hurt with the sudden movement. 

_Boss is calling_

King picked up, and immediately held the phone away from his ear as he heard his friends in the background chastising him.

"King we need you, there's a test that's coming up-" Boss said, before being angrily cut off by Mek. 

"Mek's giving me a disapproving look and I don't want to sleep on the couch tonight- we also are all worried about you. We heard that you called in sick, are you alright? where are you." Boss asked.

King chuckled, his spirits lifting when he heard his friends concerned about him.

"Yeah, I decided to take a couple days off to make sure the stitches were fully healed, I'll be back in lecture later in the afternoon. I'm at my parent's house right now."

"Ahh good choice! Being pampered by the parents, that's the way to do it." Boss nodded approvingly.

"Ram was apparently asking where you're at." Bohn said, mentioning Duen's casual slip up when talking to his boyfriend about the latest gossip.

"O-oh, I haven't told anybody yet- I was just focusing on resting. Don't worry, I'll be back and expecting a lot of welcome back gifts." King replied, throwing a joke in there to mask his complete surprise.

Ram asked about me? How will I face him?

King shook his head- the lack of sleep catching up to him. It was still a few hours before he had to head to campus. A couple more minutes in bed wouldn't hurt right? 

**Wrong.**

King woke up blearily to the sun rays heating up his face. He pried his eyes open to look at the time only to jump when he realized he was late, and that he had accidentally skipped one more lecture than he planned to. 

His parents had already left for work, leaving King to escape without being forced to eat a huge breakfast which would undoubtedly make him more late than he already was.

Without thinking, he hopped on his bike, figuring that the bus would take too long as it only came by the hour, not realizing that his parent's house was quite far away from campus, and while his injury was healing smoothly- he still hadn't eaten anything in the past 24 hours.

Fatigue wore him down as King pushed through to go to campus, but he started to feel lightheaded as the lack of food in his stomach started catching up to him. Just as he was biking near the courtyard, he gently pushed off his bike, and lied on the ground- catching his breath and lying down.

_I'll just lay here and close my eyes for a second,_ King thought, drifting into unconsciousness.

\---

Ram was worried. He was on high alert all day. He felt like he had now somehow developed a 6th sense when it came to the senior, and could feel the hair on his skin stand on end- sensing danger.

His racing thoughts were interrupted by a couple of girls gossiping loudly on the courtyard.

"Did you hear? The top engineering student was found passed out on campus!" 

"Yeah, there's pictures all over the department page! How can he still look so angelic while unconscious? It's so unfair!"

Ram's heartbeat stilled, as he raced to catch up with the girls.

"Excuse me, where is the engineering senior that passed out now?" Ram asked, desperate to find King.

He had resorted to talking to strangers- something he absolutely despised, but desperate times calls for desperate measures. And to Ram- any threat to King was an emergency.

"I think he's at the university hospital right now-"

Ram took off, already knowing the way due to King's previous injuries.

As soon as Ram entered the hospital, he found a familiar face: Dr. Thara, Duen's cousin.

Ram didn't even have to say anything for Thara to know the burning question on the young man's mind. It's as if when it came to King, Ram's stoic nature crumbled and his heart was now on his sleeve for the whole world to see.

"He passed out due to physical overexertion- his blood sugar levels were also quite low, and he was dehydrated on top of that. We managed to take care of that and now he's resting." Thara said, explaining to Ram what had happened.

"Where is he?" Ram asked.

"He's in my supervisor's office down the hall, he should wake up-" Thara was interrupted by the tattooed man storming off into the general direction Thara pointed in. 

Thara smiled and shook his head, recalling how Bohn and his gang had dragged King's unconscious body in complete panic, only to sigh with relief after finding out that his condition wasn't serious just half an hour ago. They had told him that one of Duen's friends would go check up on him in a few minutes and ran off, eyes full of mischief.

Thara wondered if Ram's relationship to King was truly just as his best friend's boyfriend's best friend- or if there was something more. Despite being incredibly smart and at an advanced track in his medical career, Thara had a hard time between reading the fine line between friendship and romantic attraction. 

Shaking his head, he decided to continue with his rounds, giving the two of them some privacy.

Ram burst into the room, and even though he knew King wasn't in a serious condition, he still looked so vulnerable as he was passed out. 

Ram gently touched the healing stitches on King's head and took a deep breath. He would have to keep a better eye on the senior. He wanted to take care of the clumsy man just as much as King had taken care of him. Feeding him, housing him, kissing him. 

As Ram's thoughts took a turn, he took the opportunity to stare at King's face, taking in the senior's beautiful features as he smiled fondly.

_Adorable._

King opened his eyes slowly, getting used to the bright white hospital lighting. 

His eyes immediately zeroed in on the junior who was still caressing King's hair surrounding his stitches.

"W-what happened?" He asked, still in a disoriented manner.

"You passed out because of exhaustion and low blood sugar." 

"Oh. I'm sorry for bothering you. You can go back to class, I can ask my sister to pick me up. I don't want to disturb you any longer." King said, finally regaining most of his senses along with a wave of shame for wasting Ram's time yet again.

"You're not disturbing me at all." Ram said firmly. "I'm not going anywhere." There was no way in hell that Ram would let King out of his sight again in this state.

"Don't feel obligated to take care of me, I can do that myself." King insisted, echoing the same sentiments he said to Ram previously during the infamous camping trip. King took in a deep breath, deciding to air out all his insecurities out in the open, as he continued-

"You know, you always do things for me to pay me back. It's like you do it because you feel like you have to, out of duty or responsibility. In exchange for those tutoring sessions, you treated me to dinner. For letting you stay at my place, you became like my personal caretaker when I got injured. It feels so transactional. I can't help but feel like I'm a burden that you always have to look after, like a thorn on your side that you can't get rid of."

Ram paused, staring at King's eyes that had now started filling with tears. The poor man had already gone through several head injuries, mental distress, restless sleep and lack of food. Ram's heart broke while listening to King's inner thoughts. This wouldn't do- he had to make things right. He had to finally break his silence and speak up.

"I don't feel obligated to take care of you. I want to take care of you." Ram said, stroking King's soft raven locks. 

King looked up at him, taken aback at the amount and impact of the words coming out of the Cool Boy's mouth, encouraging the tattooed man to continue,

"All those times I paid you back- I didn't do it because I felt like I had to. I did it because it was an excuse to spend time with you, or make sure you were alright. I did it because I wanted to- I did it because I wanted you." Ram confessed.

"I started to like you because I saw how selfless and caring you are. Spending hours of your time helping tutor students for free, giving your friends advice, helping them out with volunteering- you always put others before you. As much as I like that side of you, it worries me sometimes. I wanted to be there to make sure that you take care of yourself, and prioritize yourself as much as you prioritize the people around you." Ram said, pausing to take some water after saying way more words than he was used to. 

"You've helped me so much, You've taught me so much. I honestly don't know what I would do without you, especially after my family situation. I want to be there for you as much as you've been there for me." Ram said, taking King's slender hand into his own pale one, staring deep into King's eyes that made the senior turn red.

For once, King's was at a loss for words after the Cool Boy said more words to him than he had ever uttered to the senior before.

**For the first time in his life, King was speechless.**

\---

After King was discharged from the hospital, Ram had taken him back to the condo with a lingering question at the back of both of their minds, a question that is very common amongst young adults taking their first steps into a possible relationship:

_So... what are we?_

King ignored the voice in the back of his head, instead opting to postpone it while greeting each of his beloved children in the house.

Ram watched over the senior with a smile. Now that King was here, the house finally felt like a home again.

Ram quickly snapped out of his trance, heading to the fridge to heat up some leftovers. After King was done taking care of his plants, Ram had steered him to the dining table, encouraging him to eat and drink.

King's face broke out into a wide smile, and Ram felt an instant pang of relief flood through his system. He hadn't realized how much he had missed that cute smile.

"Thank you Cool Boy!" King said while digging in. In the past, King may have felt burdened by the junior's actions- mistaking it as the senior being an added chore to Ram's life. But now he knew: Ram took care of him purely because he wanted to, just like how King takes care of him as well for the same reasons. The feeling is mutual. King was content. 

After the two had eaten their dinner, King washed the dishes while Ram dried them.

King decided to finally address the elephant in the room while his eyes focused on wiping a plate vigorously to avoid Ram's pressing gaze.

"So... that night. When I got really drunk and kissed you. Did you kiss me back because... because you wanted to?" King said, quickly glancing over at Ram who had paused his previous motions of drying a cup. Ram turned to meet King's gaze:

"Yes."

"S-so, would you maybe want to do it again sometime? I mean only if you want, if not that's ok! Haha just thought I'd ask-" King was interrupted by Ram loudly putting down the cup on the counter and grabbing King's face in his hands. Before their lips could meet again, King's uncoordinated hands dropped the plate in surprise, not expecting Ram to suddenly move like that. 

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I'm super clumsy- I'll pick that right up." King said.

Ram chuckled and King looked at him bewildered, but happy to see his Cool Boy laugh like that.

"I'll get the broom. No worries." Ram said, as he picked up the broom from the kitchen closet and swept the pieces away into the trash. As soon as he was done he turned to King whose hands were now devoid of any potential hazards.

"So do you want to pick up where we left off-" King asked suggestively, only to be cut off again by Ram's lips on his. Ram was done talking, all he wanted to do was to kiss away all of King's doubts and insecurities about Ram's feelings for his senior. 

King, despite inviting the kiss himself still gasped in surprise, but soon got with the program, wrapping his arms around Ram's broad shoulders while Ram backed him up into the kitchen wall. 

While it had started off sweet and gentle, with Ram's lips gently molding with King's with small pecks, it had slowly grown more heated. King slipped in his tongue while Ram was the surprised one now. They lost track of how long they had spent, making up for lost time with that kiss.

Finally, King pulled away to take in several deep breaths. Ram still kept him close, rubbing their noses together in a soft Eskimo kiss. King took the opportunity to gingerly trace his hand on Ram's dreamcatcher tattoo. 

"Can I kiss it?" King asked, finally having the courage to ask what he's been dying to do ever since he saw the alluring tattoos on the younger man while peeking at the handsome guy through the library bookshelves.

"Go ahead." Ram said gruffly, trying to mask how much King's request was affecting him.

King used one hand to steady Ram's face to one side, while he leaned down and gave a little peck to the tattoo first, glancing at the Cool Boy's face to see his reaction. Ram looked down, almost in a mocking way as if saying: _is that all you've got?_

Oh that definitely wasn't all the tricks King had up his sleeve. And he would make sure to prove that to Ram later, one day. 

But for now, they were taking it one step at a time. They had all the time in the world to explore their newfound feelings, and build their relationship and life together.

King may have felt like a thorn on Ram's side, but thorns are needed on roses to protect them from outside dangers, just like how Ram needs King. And now, King finally knew it was true.

And their love will continue to blossom. 

**Author's Note:**

> (Personal Note// SKIP if you don't want to read super personal details about my own life lmao)
> 
> While I was in university before the pandemic, I had started catching feelings towards one of my friends and our relationship with one another was really similar to King and Ram's dynamic. At the beginning of our friendship, I had noticed that there was a guy in a few of my classes that I had other classes with in previous semesters. He was super tall so he was really noticeable, he participated quite a bit in class but seemed reserved outside of it. I'm a very extroverted person who's intrigued by introverted/ closed off people. I just think it's so rewarding when people who don't like to talk a lot or like to spend time by themselves instead choose to talk to YOU and spend their precious alone time with YOU. So with King being immediately intrigued by Ram's stoic nature- I related to that super hard.
> 
> I later found out that we had mutual friends in one class so we hung out a couple times in group settings (sound familiar? ;)) In the other class that only we shared together I started following him around, grabbing lunch and coffee with him whenever I could. I always talked and talked during our conversations, and occasionally he would ask questions. He once listened to me rant about High School Musical for almost 2 hours. Eventually, our conversations became more balanced as he opened up and became more comfortable around me. My intentions were him initially were purely platonic- he was not my usual type at all. But over time, we spent so much time in class and out of class to the point where he became a part of my routine, and vice versa.
> 
> One day, he said a flirtatious comment towards me and I was completely caught off guard. I hadn't expected him to have that side of him at all. I had never thought of him as being more than a friend until that moment, similar to how King was SHOOK when Ram was basically confessing to King left, right, and center  
> .  
> After that my heart would beat out of my chest whenever our elbows brushed against each other in lecture. I started getting insecure about how much I would talk and worry that I was annoying him. He wasn't the type to show emotion, so I started jumping to my own conclusions. When we were just friends, he was pretty easy to read. I'm an extremely observant person (just like our favorite plant lover). But when it came to his occasionally flirtatious comments or the way he looked at me- I just couldn't figure out whether he had feelings for me or just saw me as a friend and that drove me absolutely crazy.
> 
> Eventually, out of my own insecurities and self doubt I had convinced myself that he didn't have feelings for me, and even if he did- it wouldn't work out because he was planning to study abroad and graduate early anyways.  
> And then COVID happened. He was one of the last people I saw before I left campus to go back home.
> 
> He was the last person I hugged.
> 
> I wanted to reach out to him, to talk to him, I missed him a LOT. But I held back because he never reached out, he was never good at online communication. Eventually, my feelings for him faded away. Out of sight, out of mind you know?
> 
> And then I discovered RamKing. I was shocked as I saw their story play out, it seemed eerily similar to my own dynamic with my former crush. I felt like I needed to write about them in order to process my own feelings about my personal life.
> 
> Writing this out, was honestly really therapeutic. RamKing has truly helped me so much during quarantine- they were exactly what I needed to get some closure and acceptance on my situation. I hope I can see him again when I return to campus, but I have no idea if my feelings will return or if they're gone forever. Either way, I like talking to him and spending time with him, so I hope we can reunite soon (along with all my other friends!)
> 
> If you read this whole thing till the end then thank you so much <3 I truly appreciate it! Hope you all stay safe and healthy.


End file.
